The man of the moment

Coming straight out of Streatham, South London, Dave has documented the young black British experience over diverse, smart singles and a stunning debut album. Back in 2016 with his second single “Wanna Know”, the MC, singer and pianist caught the ear of Drake who jumped on a playful remix, and in the same year an AJ Tracey team-up, “Thiago Silva”, provided a blast of youthful energy. Neither track prepared fans for “Question Time”—his seven-minute study of both global and local politics. After a standalone No.1 single with Fredo (“Funky Friday”), those early experiments were focused and developed for an extraordinary debut album. Released when he was just 20, Psychodrama contains tracks as diverse as the autobiographical “Streatham” and the Burna Boy-assisted smooth party anthem “Location.” His Mercury Prize win and BRIT Award (complemented by a mesmerising, headline-making performance of “Black”) announced the record as the best of 2019, but also confirmed it as one of the most important UK rap and grime albums ever recorded.